Ancient Tasso Dzi Bead, 34.8×11.5mm, mahogany-purple and orange-amber agate, cinnabar bloodspots (Ac-071026-TaBS)

We never retouch our photos. What you see is exactly what you will receive.

The colour of this bead is not a single tone; it is a landscape. Deep mahogany-purple runs through the body, shifting to warm orange-amber in the banding zones, and the cream tasso tooth forms sit across this ground as if the stone itself produced them. The natural multicolour banding of the agate and the etched tasso motif read together as one composition: the tooth chevrons are lifted by the warm orange zones beneath them and framed by the dark mahogany bands on either side. No two faces show the same colour combination.

The tasso motif, also called Tiger Tooth, Horse Tooth, or Wave, is a diagonal chevron pattern repeating around the bead. On this piece the tooth forms are generous and well-defined, the cream motif lines tracking cleanly through the warm ground from one end to the other. The surface is smooth and uninterrupted: no calcification, no chips, no cracks. Minor weathering marks are consistent with a 500–700 year life.

Both drill holes are small and clean. The end caps show the agate's warm internal colour at its most vivid, a bright orange-red surround at each drill opening, visible in the angled photographs.

The bloodspot photographs were taken under microscope magnification. In the cream-white motif zones, dozens of discrete reddish-brown to orange cinnabar inclusions are present, from fine pinpoints to larger orange-golden concentrations with darker centres, forming a dense constellation along the cream bands, with a concentrated cluster in one field and a broader scatter in the second view. These are natural cinnabar (硃砂, zhūshā) inclusions within the agate. They are visible to the naked eye if you look closely, and fully shown in the microscope photographs.

The Tasso Motif

The tasso, also known as tiger tooth (虎牙, hǔ yá), horse tooth, or wave, is one of the oldest and most widespread patterns in the Tibetan dzi tradition. The repeating diagonal chevron is associated with strength, courage, and protective power, believed to ward off negative forces and strengthen the wearer's vitality. Collectors especially treasure a tasso bead with cinnabar bloodspots, for the beauty and auspicious red of the natural inclusions. Learn more in our guide to bloodspots in dzi beads.

Specifications

• Motif: Tasso (Tiger Tooth / Horse Tooth / Wave); repeating chevron around the full circumference
• Length: 34.8mm
• Diameter: 11.5mm
• Form: Barrel
• Material: Natural agate; warm mahogany-purple and orange-amber multicolour banding
• Age estimate: Ancient, 500–700 years
• Condition: Excellent. No cracks, no chips, no calcification. Minor age-consistent weathering marks.
• Bloodspots: Prominent; reddish-brown to orange natural cinnabar in a dense constellation along the cream bands, shown in two microscope photographs
• Product ID: Ac-071026-TaBS
• Collections: Original Ancient Dzi | Bloodspot Dzi

Related Tasso and Bloodspot Dzi

Antique

• Antique Tasso Dzi with Extreme Bloodspots, pitch-black agate
• Antique Tasso Dzi, bloodspot constellation, pitch-black agate
• Antique Tasso Dzi with Bloodspots, deep brown agate
• Antique Tiger Tooth (Tasso) Dzi with Bloodspots
• Antique Ruyi Dzi with Bloodspots
• Antique Green Tara Dzi with Bloodspots

Ancient

• Ancient Double Wave Dzi with Extreme Bloodspots
• Ancient Eight Eye Dzi Bead, 500–700 years
• Ancient Two Eye Dzi, pitch-black and cream-beige

From the blog

• Bloodspots in Dzi Beads
• What Gives Dzi Beads Value, and What to Be Careful Of
• Dzi Motifs and Their Interpretations

Every piece at Ancient Dzi Shop is photographed unretouched and described exactly as found. What you see is what you will receive.

Photos: seven unretouched images of the exact bead: three white-background side views, two angled views of both drill ends and the warm end caps, and two microscope photographs of the cinnabar in the cream bands.